U.S. patent application number 10/322395 was filed with the patent office on 2004-06-17 for plumber's tool.
Invention is credited to Shaltiel, Ariel.
Application Number | 20040111792 10/322395 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32507283 |
Filed Date | 2004-06-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040111792 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shaltiel, Ariel |
June 17, 2004 |
Plumber's tool
Abstract
A plumber's tool having a hand operated bulb at one end and an
inflatable distal end with and intermediate smaller diameter hose
portion for easy insertion into a water pipe or the like for repair
thereof and the method of using same.
Inventors: |
Shaltiel, Ariel; (Los
Angeles, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CISLO & THOMAS, LLP
233 WILSHIRE BLVD
SUITE 900
SANTA MONICA
CA
90401-1211
US
|
Family ID: |
32507283 |
Appl. No.: |
10/322395 |
Filed: |
December 17, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/255.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16L 55/128
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
004/255.01 |
International
Class: |
E03D 009/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A plumber's tool for use in a conduit having a break therein
comprising the combination of an elongate hose configured member
having one end adapted to be connected to a source of gas and the
other end being configured to fit within said conduit and adapted
to be inflated to fill the internal volume of said conduit and to
seal both the internal volume of said conduit and the area adjacent
said break and wherein said elongate hose configured member and
said other end are of integral construction.
2. The tool in accordance with claim 1 including a hand-operated
bulb connector pump for inflating said other end with ambient
air.
3. The tool in accordance with claim 2 including a one-way shut off
valve in operable association with said hand operated bulb
connector.
4. The tool in accordance with claim 1 wherein said source of gas
is a can of pressurized air.
5. The tool in accordance with claim 3 wherein said tool is
fabricated of high temperature resistant rubber.
6. The tool in accordance with claim 5 wherein said high
temperature resistant rubber is of commercial grade silicone rubber
and has a temperature rating of about 350.degree.-450.degree.
Fahrenheit and has a wall thickness of about 0.055-0.060 inch at
said other end and is easily inflatable by hand.
7. The method of effectuating repair in a water pipe or the like
comprising the steps of: a. locating the rupture in the pipe or
conduit; b. shutting off flow of water in said pipe or conduit so
that flow of water is not under usual water pressure in said
conduit; c. inserting an elongate tube having an inflatable end
through an access way into said conduit or pipe in the proximity of
said break; and d. inflating the distal end of said tool to stop
the flow of residual fluid in said conduit or pipe; and e.
effectuating a repair of said pipe or conduit at said break.
8. A plumber's tool for use in a conduit having a break therein
comprising the combination of an elongate hose configured member
about 24 inches in length and having one end of thinner wall
construction than said elongate hose and adapted to be connected to
a source of gas and the other end being configured to fit within
said conduit and adapted to be inflated to fill the internal volume
of said conduit and to seal both the internal volume of said
conduit and the area adjacent said break and wherein said elongate
hose configured member and said other end are of integral
construction and including a hand operated bulb air pump member
connected to the free end of said elongate hose configured member
and including a one-way shut off valve in operable association with
said hand operated bulb air pump member.
Description
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any one of
the patent disclosure as it appears in the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves
all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates generally to a plumber's tool of the
type that may be inserted into a pipe or conduit through a
T-connection or valve in order to seal the same so that a break in
the conduit or pipe can be satisfactorily repaired.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] It becomes important in the everyday life of a plumber to be
able to solder, weld or otherwise repair a conduit or pipe which
has a break and wherein fluid usually under a little pressure needs
to be maintained away from the break so that adequate repairs may
be made.
[0005] In many instances of repair work it is necessary to wait an
extended period of time, for example, where a break in a conduit or
pipe is found at the lower elevation of the plumbing system, for
water to drain in order to fix the break which wastes the time of
the plumber and greatly increases the cost of the plumbing repairs.
In the past, a plumber having once ascertained where the break in
the conduit or pipe was located, would shut off the water supply
and have to wait until the water drained from the system in order
to be able to commence the repair work which is very inefficient
use of his time.
[0006] In the past various expedients have been suggested as, for
example, inflatable elements of one type or another being
inflatable by a fluid such as water, or comprised rather elaborate
and sophisticated devices which have been either expensive to
manufacture or complex to maintain and operate.
[0007] While various apparatuses have been suggested of an
inflatable type none have been able to overcome the desiratum of a
low cost, easily maintained device that is light weight in
character and relatively inexpensive to employ in the repair of a
fluid conduit or plumbing pipe.
[0008] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,863 to Lewis et al.:
[0010] This patent is directed to a pipe plugging apparatus for use
in stopping the flow of water or other fluids in a pipe during pipe
repair and construction and comprises a hand-held pump and a
complicated hand-activated screw element for moving a piston for
pushing water or other fluids within the pump.
[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,147 to Brusse et al.:
[0012] This patent is directed to an inflatable bladder valve
including an inflatable bladder for sealing large diameter piping
ducts wherein prior to deployment the inflatable bladder is in the
folded, deflated state and thereafter the bladder is inflated by
action of a dislodging of a plug so that the bladder inflates and
seals the piping duct. It is a complicated and clumsy device not
having the attributes of the present invention.
[0013] U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,659 to Durham:
[0014] This patent is directed to a device for retrieving small
items which have fallen into a residential drain wherein an
elongate tubular portion having an inflatable pouch or balloon
fixed at one end is placed into the drain in the collapsed state
and then upon inflation, the inflatable end expands to retrieve an
item that is lost within the drain.
[0015] U.S. Pat. No. 1,510,212 to Du Bois:
[0016] This patent is directed to a device that is used for
cleaning out stopped up underground pipes and the like wherein
through a complex assemblage an inflatable member allows for blow
out air to be sent to act upon stoppage within the pipe in order to
clear the stopped up drain pipe.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0017] It is a general object of the present invention to provide a
plumber's tool which is relatively easy to manufacture and is of
low cost and wherein in order to prevent the backflow of fluid in a
conduit or pipe allows for the insertion of the tool, the expansion
of the distal end so as to seal off a backflow of fluid to allow
repair of the broken conduit or pipe.
[0018] It is another object of the invention to provide a tool
which is easily operated and has a hand pump or other source of gas
pressure in order to inflate a distal end of the tool to seal off a
conduit or a pipe to allow repairs to be made.
[0019] It is still another specific object of the invention to
provide a tool that is useful in repairing conduits or pipes which
is easily inserted through a valve or other opening so as to be
easily maniputable in the uninflated stated and yet upon inflation
is easily an effectively used to block the flow of fluids so that
repairs of the pipe or conduit may be achieved.
[0020] It is another even more specific object of the invention to
provide a plumber's tool and method of using the same for
effectuating a repair site that permits ease of pipe or conduit
repair as by soldering, welding or the like.
[0021] These and other objects and advantages of the present
invention will be apparent from a review of the following
specification and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the
tool of the invention having a hand-manipulated bulb at one end
with a one-way valve.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the tool of the
invention being inserted through a T-connector into a conduit or
pipe having a break which is to be repaired.
[0024] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the tool of the
invention in the fluid blocking state; and
[0025] FIG. 4 is schematic representation of how the tool of the
invention may be connected to a can of air or gas for inflation
purposes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
[0026] The detailed description set forth below in connection with
the appended drawings is intended as a description of
presently-preferred embodiments of the invention and is not
intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention
may be constructed and/or utilized. The description sets forth the
functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating
the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments.
However, it is to be understood that the same or equivalent
functions and sequences may be accomplished by different
embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the
spirit and scope of the invention.
[0027] Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals of reference
designate like elements throughout it will be seen that the tool 2
of the invention comprises an elongate portion 4 and an inflatable
distal end 6 with the opposed end 8 being adapted for connection to
a hand bulb or pump 10 through a one-way valve connector 12 which
allows for passage of air, for example, from the bulb 10 through
the interior of elongate portion 4 and into the inflatable section
6. The device 2 is made of unitary construction in this particular
instance of commercial grade silicone rubber of high heat resistant
character.
[0028] In operation and referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 the conduit or
pipe 20 has a break 22 which needs to be repaired and wherein back
water or fluid designated by the arrows 24 is flowing through the
conduit and obviously through the break 22 thereby making repairs
impossible. However, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the device 2, and
more specifically the distal end 6, is threaded through T-connector
23 and placed in position adjacent the break 22 and through hand
pumping is inflated and thereby blocks the flow of water or other
fluid in the area adjacent the break 22 so that welding, soldering
or the like may take place.
[0029] In lieu of using the hand pump 10 a can of pressurized gas
such as 30 may be utilized as shown in FIG. 4 and wherein the
device 32 illustrates another embodiment where the distal end 34 is
of a different shape to be used for various purposes than the
distal end 6 as shown in FIG. 1.
[0030] Obviously, the devices of the invention may comprise various
shapes and sizes it only being important that the materials of
construction and configuration be such that the tool may be
inserted, for example, through a T-connector, a valve, an open port
or other accessible valve entryway of the pipe or conduit so that
the inflatable end may be positioned adjacent the break in the pipe
or conduit. Further those of ordinary skill in the art will
recognize that the elongate portion of the device may be of various
lengths as well as the distal end which may be of different
configuration, it only being important that the device be unitary
in nature so as to prevent a tool from disassociating one part from
the other to thereby lead to ineffectiveness of the device.
[0031] A device as illustrated in the drawings has been built and
has been found to be satisfactory wherein the length of the
elongate portion 4 is approximately 24 inches having an outside
diameter of 0.380 inch and an internal diameter of about {fraction
(1/8)} inch. The distal, inflatable end is about 2 inches in length
and having an outside diameter of about 0.6 inch, a wall thickness
of about 0.055 inch, an outside diameter of about {fraction (1/2)}
inch and an internal diameter of about 0.380 inch. The material of
construction of the device is of commercial grade silicone rubber
having a temperature resistant rating of approximately
350.degree.-400.degree. Fahrenheit.
[0032] Those of ordinary skill in the art will of course recognize
that other materials of construction may be utilized as well as
different thicknesses and different materials just so long as the
device is fabricated of a material that is heat resistant where
welding or soldering takes place and is of sufficient resiliency or
flexibility to allow for ease of manipulation within and through a
conduit or pipe so that the same may be disposed adjacent the break
in the pipe or conduit to be repaired and that the distal or
inflatable end is easily inflated to accomplish the end result.
[0033] Ideally, the device that has been constructed and utilized
employs a hand bulb made of rubber such as 10 of the conventional
type usually found in the market place and employs a connector
having a one-way valve so to permit air to flow only one way toward
the distal end but which permits release of air by a pet cock or
valve also of conventional design to deflate the distal end as
those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize.
[0034] While the present invention has been described with regards
to particular embodiments, it is recognized that additional
variations of the present invention may be devised without
departing from the inventive concept.
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